Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Customer Is Always...On Twitter?

Have you seen this article from Fortune exploring the efficacy of various customer service channels for eight real-life brands?

Not that long ago I was discussing the future of technology in regards to customer service. Here we have eight cases of companies using twitter, in addition to phone and web channels, to address customer issues...with varying degrees of success. Even Zappos, a known customer service champion, falls somewhat short when put to this test.

The fact is, customers are going to seek answers on channels like twitter - or worse, badmouth your brand. Refraining from having a twitter presence means you may not immediately hear the complaints, but they'll still exist. The best policy is therefore to listen and respond in the best way possible. (A topic IIR occasionally addresses on the Community 2.0 blog). Is the social media team at your company prepared to deal with this challenge? Where does customer service and social media intersect? It's an interesting conundrum.